Saturday, October 20, 2007

can i get an Amen? rejoice in the fact that water resistant shells are no longer automatically damned to ugliness.

here in seattle, where it is rainy and windy in the fall and winter, it is a rite of passage to own not only one jacket by the north face, but many. the have a way of keeping one warm and dry, but the problem: the rain jackets are just scary ugly. the choice of styles include bulky bland color blocked fabric or bulky toxic waste color blocked fabric. it is a no-win. since staying dry is a good thing, one eventually decides to come to terms with looking as if dressed in a coleman tent that was on clearance.

thankfully, we must settle no longer because a great looking rain jacket has emerged by a new company called nau. the durable and well-made jacket, which has a detachable hood and is resistant to wind and rain, is cut to define the waist and has a curved, asymmetrical button placket that nicely hides the zipper. not only is the jacket a great find in that it is actually fashionable, but it is also environmentally friendly (as are all nau designs) since it is made of 100% recycled materials and can be put back in the closed-loop system to create new fabrics when the jacket has seen the last of its days.

the company only has a few stores aside from the one in the seattle area, but has an online store. a tip for those with a local storefront: order the clothing you want to purchase for home delivery, since they will take 10% off the retail price and deliver it to your house for free. this is useful to know, since the prices can be a little on the high side. another fact that pleasantly surprised me is that 5% of every sale goes to an environmental charity--they have a list about 10 from which one can choose.

i look forward to getting some more items from this company.

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